Improvement in floats for life-preservers



te duit JAMES W. WESTON,

or New YORK, N.- Y.

Letters Patent No. 86,193, dated .Tamm/ry 26, 1869.

IMPROVEMENT IN FLOATS FOR LIFE-PRESERVERS, &c.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, J AMES W. WESTON, of the city and State of New York, have invented, made, and applied to use, a certain new and useful Improvement in Floats for Life-Preserving and'Naut-ioal Purposes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a'iull, clear, and exact description of the said invention, reference being Vhad to the annexed drawing, making part of this speci- Figure l represents one of my improved oats as partially broken open, to show the interior construction, and

Figure-2 is a cross-section of said float.

Heretofore loats have been made of iniiated bags, that are liable to be pierced and destroyed; Also, they have been made of sheet-metal, which is subject to corrosion, indentation, and fracture, and is also heavy in proportion to its strength. Floats have also been made of cork and light wood, enclosed in a casing of sail-cloth, or similar material. These, however, are heavy to handle, and do not, consequently, support as much weight as they would ii' hollow, and lighter for the same bulk.

The nature of my said invention consists oi'a float, for lite-preserving and nautical purposes, formed of a hollow casing, made of two or more laniinee of wood, with the grain of the wood running in diti'erent directions in the contiguous laminze. Thereby I obtain great strength from the lamin supporting each other', and the one preventing the other splitting; and hence I am able to make such iioats very much lighter, and more buoyant, than heretofore. .i

I cover said tloats with water-prooi material, such as gutta-percha, so as to prevent the glue, or other cement employed for holding the laminze together, becoming soit, and losing its adhesion.

In the drawing- Y a and b are laminee of Wood, with the grain of one runningin a different direction to the other, and

c represents a third lamina, that might be used, or

the laminze still further increased in number.

These lamin of wood are caused to adhere together by glue, or suitable cement.

The shape ofthe said float may be cylindrical, or oi' any other desired form. I have shown the same as cylindrical, with the heads inserted at the ends of the tube made of the lalnixne aforesaid.

rlhe head, (l, is formed circular, with a iiange to set at the endof the cylinder, as represented.

c is an exteriolrenclosing, of suitable material, such as gutta-percha or sail-cloth, in the latter instance, paint or varnish being employed to protect the iioat from the action oi' the water.

In order that these ioats may be in convenient positions for use as life-prese'rvers, or for nautical purposes, I attach them to stools, chairs, settees, or suspend long ones, to forni the bottoms or sides of beds.

or hammocks; and these floats may be placed under the thwarts, or along the gunwales, of vessels, orbe employed for life-rafts, or for any other nautical or marine purposes to which they may be available.

Vhat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

A hollow iioat, formed of a wooden casing, made of laminae of wood, in the manner specied, andvcovered with waterfproof material, for the purposes and as set forth.

Dated,'Maroh 25, AJ). 1868.

J. W. WESTON. 

